Three soldiers from the "Artan X" unit, part of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine special operations group, set out on a high-risk sabotage and reconnaissance raid targeting the positions of russia's 247th Air Assault Regiment.

Upon reaching enemy lines, the Artan X fighters encountered a russian unit, sparking close-quarters combat — three Ukrainian assault troops against three russian paratroopers.

During the fight, the russian side deployed an unknown chemical agent. The gas incapacitated the Ukrainian soldiers, who were then captured and taken prisoner.

The enemy began retreating with the captives toward an occupied settlement. Aerial reconnaissance units of DIU's active operations division tracked their movements in real time.

"When the russian paratroopers reached the first shelter with our men, our team and allied units hit them with FPV drone strikes to rescue our guys — Ketsa, Anubis, and Kliuchyk," said "Favorit," the commander of Artan X.

Following a precise drone strike that eliminated one of the russians, one of the captured fighters, callsign Ketsa, seized the chaos to escape.

"I waited for the right moment and slipped away, found shelter in a ruined building, and waited it out. My chest was burning from the gas the russians used on us. When our FPVs came in, it was an incredible feeling. I'm deeply grateful to the brothers who didn't leave us behind and ripped us out of captivity," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone operators took out the second enemy soldier. The third russian, who had crawled under an old truck, was also hunted down and eliminated with drone precision.

After neutralizing the enemy group, a reconnaissance drone delivered instructions from command to guide two of the fighters back to safety. The third soldier made it back on foot after nightfall.

"We pulled our guys out of the enemy's grip on the battlefield. The mood here is sky-high. These kinds of epic operations boost morale. What our drone operators and partner units did was pure craftsmanship — top-level, surgical precision. We fight for our own to the very end. As for the invaders — we destroy them," Favorit emphasized.

The freed Artan X fighters returned with captured weapons and critical intelligence. All are now undergoing treatment for chemical burns inflicted by the russian agents.